1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that records images on a recording medium by use of an ink sheet having the coating of thermal sublimation ink, thermal fusion ink or the like on it. More particularly, the invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of recording appropriate images in accordance with each size of recording sheets serving as a recording medium and ink sheets used for recording, as well as to relate to a recording method and a storage medium therefor.
The invention also relates to a recording apparatus capable of forming appropriate images in accordance with the respective kinds of recording sheets when recording sheets of different sizes or specially treated recording sheets are used, as well as to a recording method and a storage medium therefor.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, video cameras, digital cameras, and the like have been used widely. Along with the popularization of such equipment which is capable of recording images, the demand for color printers has become increasingly more as a recording apparatus that can output the photographed and stored images on a recording medium, such as a recording sheet.
As recording methods of color images, there have been known various ones, among some others, such as the ink Jet method for recording by discharging ink, the electronic photographing method for forming images by use of toner, the thermal transfer method for transferring ink to a recording medium by the application of thermal energy with an ink sheet having ink coated on it. Also, of the thermal transfer methods, there have been known a thermal fusion type that uses an ink sheet coated with ink which is fused when heat is applied, and a thermal sublimation type that uses an ink sheet coated with ink which is sublimated when heat is applied, and so on.
Of the various recording methods, the recording apparatus that adopts the thermal transfer method using the ink sheet makes it easier to maintain the apparatus. Here, particularly, the sublimation type transfer method facilitates the formation of full color images of the higher quality which is equal to that of a silver salt photography. Also, there is inevitably a need for the transfer method using the ink sheet to adopt an ink sheet corresponding to the size of a recording sheet used for recording. Therefore, this method is suitable for a recording apparatus that records on a recording sheet of comparatively small size.
When an image, which is obtained using an equipment, such as a video camera, should be output on a recording sheet, the recording sheet of comparatively small size is mainly used often. The output images should desirably be recorded in the higher quality equal to that of a silver salt photography. Here, therefore, the aforesaid thermal transfer type recording apparatus is anticipated to function as a color printer adoptable as output means of the video camera, digital camera, or the like.
In general, the recording sheets are housed in a sheet feed cassette or set in a sheet feed unit of the thermal transfer type recording apparatus. Then, each of the recording sheets is picked up by the rotation of a sheet feed roller to carry it to the recording unit. Here, the thermal head installed in the recording unit is driven with respect to the recording sheet thus carried to this unit in a state where the thermal head is pressed to the platen through the ink sheet and the recording sheet as well. In this way, the ink which is coated on the ink sheet is transferred to the recording sheet for recording images on it.
Here, depending on the user of a recording apparatus, the sizes of images to be recorded, the sizes of recording sheets on which the images should be output, and the kinds of recording sheets to be used for recording may differ variously. Therefore, it is desired to provide a recording apparatus capable of recording on various sizes and kinds of recording sheets as the case may be.
Also, for the aforesaid thermal transfer type recording apparatus, it is generally practiced to use ink sheet having ink of plural colors coated on each of them sequentially for recording a color image. Then, there has been known a method whereby to arrange the area on which ink of each color is coated corresponding to the size of a recording sheet to be used, hence preventing the wasteful consumption of ink sheets.
As has been described, the user should select the size of a recording sheet and set on a recording apparatus the ink sheet which corresponds to the size of that particular recording sheet used for recording when he intends to output an image in a desired size using such recording apparatus that may be able to deal with a plurality of recording sheets of different sizes.
For the recording apparatus that may be able to deal with a plurality of recording sheets of different sizes, it is generally known to select a recording sheet and execute the recording control in accordance with the size of recording sheet thus selected by the designation which is made by the user through his key entry or the like. However, if the user inputs an erroneous designation or forget inputting designation, the resultant recording is not made on the recording sheet as he has intended. Thus, the recording sheets are wastefully used after all. Particularly, for the aforesaid thermal sublimation type recording apparatus, it is usual to adopt recording sheets dedicated for its use in order to attain the higher quality recording. As compared with an ordinary sheet, this specially treated recording sheet is expensive, and it costs the user more if the recording sheets are wastefully used. Also, when recording is made on a recording sheet whose size is smaller than the size of the image that should be recorded, ink adheres to the platen in the recording apparatus and to the circumference thereof, because recording is made even on the portion where no recording sheet is present. Hence, there is a possibility that the recording sheet used for the next recording is stained by the adhesion of such ink.
In the specification of Japanese Patent Publication 06-030922, a method is proposed to automatically determine the size of an image to be recorded by the detection of a recording sheet both in length and breadth when recorded with the arrangement of an array sensor dedicated for this use, which is installed on the carry path of the recording sheet. However, the arrangement of this method is such that while an expensive array sensor is provided, the image is resized automatically without giving any caution or issuing any warning to the user in this particular aspect. Also, in some cases, a print-out, which is not needed, may be made eventually.
As described above, for the recording apparatus capable of using, by an appropriate selection, recording sheets of different sizes and ink sheets having different sizes, each corresponding to a recording sheet to be used, there are such problems that when the size of a recording sheet used for recording is not in agreement with the size of an ink sheet to be used, when the sheet feed cassette is carelessly replaced, or when the user forgets designating the size of a recording sheet to be used, images are not recorded suitably and the interior of the recording apparatus may be stained inevitably.
It is also desired to provide a recording apparatus capable of recording on a recording sheet (hereinafter referred to as a seal sheet) having a adhesive layer on it. The recording sheet is peeled off from the base sheet to make its adhesion to some other object possible so that the recorded image can be used as a seal. When recording is made on such seal sheet, it is desirable to edit or process the image in various ways in order to enhance the value thereof as a seal. As such edit or process of an image of the kind, there are cited a process in which a new image is formed by allowing,some other image or characters to be overlaid on such image, a process in which images are contracted and arranged one after another so that a plurality of images can be arranged on one seal sheet in order to produce plural seals from one seal sheet. Also, for the production of plural seals, 16 to 30 seals, for example, from one seal sheet of the kind, it is known to perforate the seal sheet along the size of each seal to be peeled off. Also, it is generally practiced to select and execute the aforesaid edit or process by the designation through his key entry or the like by the user.
However, the user may wrongly select the kind of recording sheet to be used or wrongly execute the edit or the process or he may execute recording without recognizing the kind of recording sheets stored in a sheet feed cassette that supplies recording sheets. In such case, some other images, which are not suitable for the seal formation, may be recorded while seal sheets are stored in the sheet feed cassette or a larger image may be recorded against a perforated seal sheet. Thus, the seal sheets which are more expensive than ordinary sheets are consumed wastefully after all.
Also, for the recording apparatus capable of using recording sheets of various sizes, there is a problem that a smaller image is recorded on a sheet whose size is larger than that of the target image eventually.